Blue Jays take long, hard look at Romero

‘Like anything, you constantly evaluate’

DUNEDIN, FLA. • Alex Anthopoulos had been asked the question before, and his answer was always the same. This time, in a subtle way, his answer was different.

Ricky Romero had just pitched another stinker, against minor-league hitters to boot. He was wild again. So Anthopoulos, the Toronto Blue Jays general manager, was asked whether Romero might benefit from a stint in the minors to address his persistent problems.

In the past the GM had always said no. This time, at the end of a meandering reply in which he said Romero remains in the rotation, Anthopoulos finished with this: “The plans are still the same, but just like anything else, you constantly evaluate.”

That may have represented a tiny crack in the confidence vote that the Jays have given Romero all spring. And it may have meant nothing beyond the literal meaning of the words — that the team remains baffled in its bid to fix Romero and will consider, but not necessarily act upon, all suggestions.

The latest evidence was ugly. In a minor-league setting, where the rules are relaxed for pitchers who are “working on things,” Romero started four innings and did not finish one. He faced 18 batters and retired seven. He gave up five hits, four runs and five walks.

By advance arrangement, Romero was permitted to quit an inning when pitching coach Pete Walker thought he needed a breather. After a very long mound visit in the fourth, Walker halted a session that was discomfiting to watch.

Romero, the onetime ace of the staff whose 2012 troubles have leaked into spring training, was pitching against Pittsburgh Pirates prospects assigned to the Class A level. He was there for the opportunity to work on small but important changes to his delivery mechanics in a low-pressure environment.

Low pressure? As he warmed up for the first inning, Romero might have noticed Anthopoulos and his top aides huddled behind the screen, staring and studying. Walker and bullpen coach Pat Hentgen had also stayed behind to watch while manager John Gibbons took the Jays to Port Charlotte for an exhibition game against Tampa Bay. Other than the manager, all of the organization’s most important eyes were on Romero as he faced callow farmhands.

His bullpen session was impressive. Despite a patchy first inning, he seemed to incorporate the adjustments, which are designed to take him on a straight line to the plate instead of veering off to the third-base side.

But in the second, his mechanics wavered and he walked three batters, two of them on four pitches. His fastball ran high and wide. In the third, he walked a batter and gave up a two-run homer.

Afterward, he and Walker had a long talk. Speaking with reporters, Anthopoulos allowed that he and his lieutenants and the manager and the coaches would be doing the same in the coming days.

Asked directly whether Romero might do well to address his adjustments and rebuild his confidence in Buffalo, Anthopoulos gave this reply:

“We haven’t talked about it at all. Obviously, we evaluate it start by start and so on. We’ve said we have our five starters; he’s one of our five starters. Again, as we go through it and we talk about it — the first conversation I’m having about it is now — so Gibby is at the other game, talk to him, talk to Pete [Walker]. We’ll talk to the player as well. We haven’t had any change of plans. The plans are still the same, but just like anything else, you constantly evaluate.”

Later, back in the clubhouse, Romero emerged from his chat with Walker with a vow to keep working on the mechanical changes, which, he insisted, are minor. He said his remaining work in spring training — which includes two scheduled big-league starts — will provide enough time to find the groove that made him so effective in 2011. He kept saying the key is to trust his ability and “let [his] athleticism take over.” But that seemed to suggest a paradox: to be effective, Romero needs to rely on his instincts while at the same time thinking about his mechanics.

“It was [that way] a little bit today,” he said. “You’re trying to see where your foot’s landing and if you’re out front, stuff like that.

“But that’s what the bullpen’s for and that’s what the four days in between that next start are for, to kind of think a little bit and over-exaggerate in certain drills and just make sure you’re there. I have confidence in my athleticism, and it’s all going to come together and one day you’re just going to be like, ‘There it is.’ ”

Walker, the pitching coach, said the magnitude of Romero’s adjustments have been “blown out of proportion a little bit” by the media. But both he and Anthopoulos acknowledged that the changes are essential if Romero is to find success.

The GM said the team is committed to getting Romero “back on track.” He added: “You can never dictate when it’s going to happen.”

But in the matter of where it is going to happen, Anthopoulos can dictate that.